Speculation: Roster Building Thread XXXII: One Thing Leads to Another

[Alluckks]

In fairness PDG has been a nice addition to the team. His speed and grit add a nice element to that line

I think PDG Chytil, Kakko, Goat, and Lemmy are 5 players that make for a very strong bottom 6

Granted, with coming moves we likely end up seeing at least 1 of those players forced to be moved into the top 6.

 

[Ola]

We certainly have a lot of pessimistic posters here who will likely always be doom and gloom. But I agree with you! This current, super young team lost to NJ, OTT, BUF, LA some multiple times. Also had some real Dog Shit 3rd period efforts in tight games that blew games late for at least a point. Those games alone put us more in the mix. Rangers don't have to be THE team. They need to get in and have things go right. Doable as early as next season. Hell, I hope they make it this year to shut some people up.

With or without Kreider this team is taking a step next year. Shesty is Obv. a very bright spot among many others.

Yep, and I mean, where we really have failed this year are things that you don't have to go through a 7 year rebuild to fix. We have had the by far worst 4th line of all NHL teams for the vast majority of this season. We have been naive at times, especially early. Smaller things. Look at Boston's 2nd and 3rd line. Its not like they have talent that we only can dream of. Tampa's biggest advantage is that Yzerman just built such a well balanced team where everyone lifts each other.

 

[Uncle Dru]

The Avs trade deadline plan? Find a deal for now that won't...

“If it works out, great,” Sakic said. “But there’s obviously things we’re not willing to move, but if there’s a deal that makes sense, we’ll look to do it. With the injuries, all the guys are going to be back by the end of the year and we’ve weathered the storm earlier in the year when we had a lot of injuries, and I have all the confidence in the world we’ll do it again.”

What was Sakic referring to when he said, “things we’re not willing to move”?
Does that mean top prospects such as Vancouver Giants defenseman Bowen Byram, Boston College forward Alex Newhook and Eagles defenseman Conor Timmins will not be on the move?

“That’s a pretty good guess,” Sakic said with a smile.

I imagine the offers coming from Sakic will fall in the dogshit category

 

[LaffyTaffy]

Calgary is now out of Gaudreau's IG bio as well.

 

[nyr5186]

We could say the same thing but the opposite.

I would HATE if 2-3 years from now the team doesn't have the cap space to make a move to put them over the top because Kreider, who has reverted back to his 50 point self, is taking up $7m on the cap

Definitely see that side too, which is what makes this decision so difficult. Part of that thinking goes back to the contracts we gave to Staal and Girardi and to a lesser extent Shattenkirk and not wanting to be stuck on a declining player with a massive deal. I just don’t see Kreider in that same mold. Signing Staal and G when we did was management’s attempt to keep the defensive core of a team that was competing for a cup. We are clearly in a different position now, we’ve completely revamped our franchise with some serious young talent and we’re trying to build a new core on the fly with a winning mentality. Kreider I believe is one of those guys that can be part of that transition. Same with Panarin and Trouba and Zibanejad, and hopefully Skjei and Buch.

I’ll say this. If we didn’t luck out with Panarin and Kakko and Fox, and if Igor wasn’t positioning himself as a legit factor for the next decade, I’d be all for trading Kreider because our timeline for contention would be closer to 5 years out. But the way things stand right now with the strides we’ve made in the last year, there’s nothing that says we can’t be making noise in the near future. And I believe Kreider, within market value price, can be a big part of that.

 

[Matt Rentfree]

I have a question for posters more knowledgeable than me. I've seen a lot of posters on the main boards give a hard no to Vaakanienen as part of a Kreider return from Boston solely because he is a LD.

I haven't seen him play at all since before he was drafted but everything I've read about him suggests he's NHL ready right now and will probably be a defensively responsible 2nd pairing player at worst.

Would it be that horrible if we got him as part of a return? Staal is a shell of his former self, Hajek and Rykov aren't NHL ready yet, Miller and Robertson are years away. Couldn't we always move one of Hajek/Rykov if we ended up with Vaak? Genuinely curious - no flaming pls.

 

[NYSPORTS]

Well, yeah of course if you could choose of course you would choose that. How likely is that though? The B prospect or late 1st rounder we get is going to replace Kreider on their ELC?

Banking on that is a recipe for disaster.

So the cap is going to go up significantly, Kreider’s production is not going to regress at all, the Rangers will more successful while the surrounding cast won’t cost much to maintain.

somehow I don’t think this will be all rainbows and unicorns if Kreider is maintained nor a recipe for disaster if he’s gone.

 

[Ola]

Calgary is now out of Gaudreau's IG bio as well.

Maximazing the output of Gaudreau and Panarin on the same team isn't super easy, but a pleasant problem to have of course...

 

[rangers1314]

Calgary is now out of Gaudreau's IG bio as well.

I'm still seeing him having his location as "NJ/Calgary"

 

[NYRangers0723]

Well, yeah of course if you could choose of course you would choose that. How likely is that though? The B prospect or late 1st rounder we get is going to replace Kreider on their ELC?

Banking on that is a recipe for disaster.

This

 

[GAGLine]

It’s not just the points Dude. A lot of the things he does doesn’t necessarily translate to points. A good example is Strome’s goal last night where his net presence helped create it. He does that as good as anybody. He speed opens up so much space for his line mates as does his size which many times take 2-3 players to cover him along the boards which opens up space for other players. His defense has improved dramatically. Off the ice he had become a big leader too. I feel he is very under appreciated mainly because he didn’t meet the crazy expectations some people had after the 2012 playoffs

That's fair, but it does seem like a lot of the people in the re-sign Kreider camp are suffering a bit of recency bias. He is currently on the hottest streak of his career.

It's totally possible that this is the new norm for Kreider. At age 27, Marchand's career highs were 55 points and 28 goals. Since then he has put up 37/61, 39/85, 34/85, 36/100 and 23/75 so far this year. I think with him though, his numbers have been boosted in part by the players he plays with. I think the same can be said for Kreider. Playing with Zibanejad definitely helps him. If we keep those 2 together for the next 5 years, I'm willing to gamble on Kreider staying closer to his current numbers than his former. But 7 years is just too much of a risk, IMO.

 

[Fireonk]

Calgary is now out of Gaudreau's IG bio as well.

That would be nuts. Highly doubt he would be traded to us and have him and Zib expire the same year, but for the fun of it, what would he cost? Buch, Georgiev, and what?

 

[wafflepadsave]

Was Kreiders mother with the moms on the trip? I didn't see his jersey in that group.

She was wearing a newhook one.

 

[Lion Hound]

I find it interesting that the Rangers and Flyers are clearly talking.

Gorton has definitely changed that approach. Grabner to the Devils. Working with the Flyers.

Apparently speaking with the Isles as well.

 

[NYSPORTS]

I imagine the offers coming from Sakic will fall in the dogshit category

lol, I doubt he gives up anything. He grew up with the Nords who became a power house once they became the Avs. I think he sees a lot of his Nords team in this group and waiting for them to develop.

 

[Thirty One]

Calgary is now out of Gaudreau's IG bio as well.

Are they on a road trip?

 

[NYRangers0723]

That's fair, but it does seem like a lot of the people in the re-sign Kreider camp are suffering a bit of recency bias. He is currently on the hottest streak of his career.

It's totally possible that this is the new norm for Kreider. At age 27, Marchand's career highs were 55 points and 28 goals. Since then he has put up 37/61, 39/85, 34/85, 36/100 and 23/75 so far this year. I think with him though, his numbers have been boosted in part by the players he plays with. I think the same can be said for Kreider. Playing with Zibanejad definitely helps him. If we keep those 2 together for the next 5 years, I'm willing to gamble on Kreider staying closer to his current numbers than his former. But 7 years is just too much of a risk, IMO

.

That’s not fair. There is no bias. In fact I’ve stated countless times that we should only resign him if we can come to a fair compromise and he takes a little less. But I’ve always accepted Kreider for what he is. Some fans just can’t get over the fact that he didn’t become a star 40 goal scorer which he was never suppose to be anyway. He is a very good player who had become a better overall player and does things that very hard to find. He is a great leader too which I understand isn’t the end all be all but it helps. Every player has some cold streaks. Even Panarin has had some ups and downs since the ASB. It’s nearly impossible to be dominant every game in an 82 game season especially if your game is a physical speed game. You have to pick your spots otherwise you wear yourself down or cause injury

 

[NYSPORTS]

Apparently speaking with the Isles as well.

really not sure what we could get from the Isles.

 

[surlysailor]

That would be nuts. Highly doubt he would be traded to us and have him and Zib expire the same year, but for the fun of it, what would he cost? Buch, Georgiev, and what?

I would think they'd want Skjei plus. Almost all of their LHD are UFAs this year and doubtful to re-sign. What that plus to Skjei would be I haven't the slightest.

 

[RGY]

Give me Johnny Hockey

 

[LaffyTaffy]

Are they on a road trip?

Home against Boston tomorrow

 

[mas0764]

We could say the same thing but the opposite.

I would HATE if 2-3 years from now the team doesn't have the cap space to make a move to put them over the top because Kreider, who has reverted back to his 50 point self, is taking up $7m on the cap

And also..... come on, other than this tear that Kreider is currently on, when has he ever been "unique and irreplaceable?"

There's a deification going on right now about a nice player, but one that can certainly be replaced. His STYLE maybe cannot be replaced, but lots of teams win a Cup without the element that he brings. They just get production from a different player in a different way. A Chris Kreider is not a mandatory piece for a Cup Winner if they have other top contributors scoring in different ways. And we will have that.

 

[GAGLine]

That’s not fair. There is no bias. In fact I’ve stated countless times that we should only resign him if we can come to a fair compromise and he takes a little less. But I’ve always accepted Kreider for what he is. Some fans just can’t get over the fact that he didn’t become a star 40 goal scorer which he was never suppose to be anyway. He is a very good player who had become a better overall player and does things that very hard to find. He is a great leader too which I understand isn’t the end all be all but it helps. Every player has some cold streaks. Even Panarin has had some ups and downs since the ASB. It’s nearly impossible to be dominant every game in an 82 game season especially if your game is a physical speed game. You have to pick your spots otherwise you wear yourself down or cause injury

You specifically may not be biased in this regard, but I think there are some who have been blinded by the light, so to speak.

 

[Fireonk]

I would think they'd want Skjei plus. Almost all of their LHD are UFAs this year and doubtful to re-sign. What that plus to Skjei would be I haven't the slightest.

Skjei, Buch, and Georgiev would be one interesting package for them perhaps.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Give me Johnny Hockey

Small sample size, but he's been ass in the postseason.